


Gathering Moonlight in the Stars

by xadiasmoon



Series: Rayllum Birthday Bash 2020 [4]
Category: The Dragon Prince
Genre: Between Seasons 1 and 2, Cute, Dancing, F/M, Fluff, I think i added more fluff than i should have oops, but it's fluff so i think im fine, rayllum being awkward but cute idiots, rayllum birthday bash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xadiasmoon/pseuds/xadiasmoon
Summary: Callum finds Rayla doing something he never expected to see.Dancing.But he ends up joining her ;) This takes place between season 1 and 2.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Series: Rayllum Birthday Bash 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826716
Comments: 1
Kudos: 44





	Gathering Moonlight in the Stars

She was tired. And Callum noticed. Dark bags were coated under her dulled, lilac eyes. She was barely keeping her head up. 

After Zym hatched, Lujanne had led them up the cursed Caldera. It was a tiring day for all of them, but Rayla had taken more of the toll of struggles. Callum couldn’t blame her. They got chased by a mob of angry elf-hating humans, walked for hours up a mountain, dealt with night terrors, and the process of Zym hatching. It wasn’t easy. Callum was still grieving the loss of the primal stone. The one thing that made him useful. But the price was worth it. They hatched a baby dragon, and the little dragon was going to help end the war. Zym had ripped off Rayla’s binding and saved her hand. Her pain was finally ceased by the little dragon. Her wrist was still somehow damaged. She had the mark of the binding on her arm. He couldn’t imagine how it had felt to have all of the blood rush back into her hand at once. 

He had checked on it for her earlier right after the fiasco with the Dragon Prince, carefully holding it and massaging it for her as the blood was racing into her hand. She had slightly grimaced at the contact, as the binding had just come off, but Callum was deeply concerned for her well being. Her hand had been in pain a lot before the binding came off, and that surely wouldn’t go away right after it came off. It would need time to heal. 

Callum, Ezran (and Bait), Rayla, Ellis, and Ava all sat together on a bench chattering. Lamps lit up the blue hued area. They talked about their adventures and how they felt. Rayla mostly stayed silent. She was tired and didn’t have the energy to speak. Eventually, around midnight, she got up and declared that she was going to turn in for the night. It was easy to tell how tired she was. Her once bright eyes dull and bloodshot, wrinkles under her eyes, and a few strands of hair flying around. 

Lujanne had come and offered them some food a few minutes later. Ezran and Ellis accepted, and Bait, Zym, and Eva ate their own food accustomed to their species. Callum kindly declined and excused himself. He was tired himself, and he needed to check on Rayla’s hand once again before they go to sleep. Ezran and Ellis seemed to be in good hands, so he didn’t need to worry too much. Ezran assured him that they would go to bed after they completed their meal. 

Callum trotted down the trail, looking for the building that they would be residing in for the night. Once he found it, after remembering the intricate little designs etched into the door. He slowly opened the door and entered the room, closing it behind him. What he expected to see was Rayla sitting in bed, getting ready to sleep. But it’s not what he saw. Instead, what he had discovered was an empty bed. He began to panic for a moment, but then reminded himself that Rayla could have gotten lost, or just went for a walk. 

He left the building and began to search for the elf. He walked for a few minutes, keeping an eye out for an elf with white hair. He suddenly began to hear some distant music. Soft, lyrical music. He continued to walk, heading in the direction of the tune. 

Moments later, he found himself in front of one of the arches that he’d seen with Lujanne. A blue tone from the elegant lamps colored the area. Greenery braided itself through the woven pillars. Subtle moon designs everywhere. But what caught his eye the most was the girl in the middle. It was Rayla. He found her! But what she was doing astounded Callum. She was. . . dancing.

Callum quickly hid behind a nearby bush, poking his head out a bit so he can see. He knew he shouldn’t be spying like this, but he didn’t want to interrupt her. Rayla was elegantly leaping and bouncing. He couldn’t look away. He was long lost in his trance of the girl in front of him beautifully. But, she had said she was going to bed, why was she here? And how did she learn to dance like that?

He watches how happy and relaxed she looked, no longer tired. She had looked absolutely drained and ready to pass out on the bench. Now, she seemed refreshed and wide awake. Carefree and excited, but determined and focused. The emotion on her face made Callum’s heart pick up.

The music playing around them was a soft and graceful piece. Callum liked music and would always enjoy listening to the townsfolk play when King Harrow took him and Ezran to a visit in the town. It was calming and he relished the sounds while he would sketch. A beautiful and intricate harp was sitting on the grass nearby, the strings strumming on their own. Callum watched at it in awe. Moon magic. He’d have to ask Lujanne about it later. A rush of curiousness overcame Callum.

His eyes wandered back to the dancing elf. Her leaps and twirls mesmerizing him. Rayla’s smooth and clear movements were a charm to him. He’d have to draw that later. He had never drawn anyone dancing before. He continued to observe Rayla behind the bush for a few minutes, admiring her. The girl he’s only known for about five days. The little things he’s learned about her. How she would grab onto her wrist or bite her lips when she was nervous. How when she’s excited, she would lightly bounce her feet with a big smile like a child. How her accent easily flows out of her mouth, making it sound so natural. How snarky and sarcastic she could be, but somehow always lighten up the mood when there was uneasiness in the air. 

Callum’s face began to heat up. Why am I blushing? Callum quickly brushed off the feeling. Rayla suddenly paused. She walked over to a nearby bench and plopped down on it. Her face was flushed, beads of sweat beginning to trickle down her forehead. She sat there for a moment, trying to catch her breath. 

He was suddenly hit with a wave of nervousness. He still had to check on her hand. He carefully snuck out of the bush, acting as though he had just come down the trail. He strolled towards her, his heart rapidly pounding. His footsteps aren’t the most subtle. Rayla heard him and whipped her head around to look at him. She jumps and her eyes widen. 

“Callum!” She squeaks. “What are you- what are you doing here?” She began to rub her left wrist, her nervous habit. Callum caught it.

“H-hey. I-I just-” He stammers. He stopped himself before he embarrassed himself any further. He turned the question. “What are you doing here?” 

Rayla glanced down, unable to meet his gaze. “I just wanted to come here for a bit, get some fresh air.” She quietly claimed, pursing her lips, acting as if she had not just danced a whole ballet routine in front of Callum.

Still skeptical, he nodded. “I need to check on your wrist. See how it’s doing now.” Callum sat beside Rayla on the bench. He softly held Rayla’s wrist, delicately observing it. There was a dark purple bruise. Those are the kind that hurt. “Rayla. I’m gonna touch the bruise. It’s going to hurt, but I need you to tell me the severity of the pain.” 

Lightly gulping, she nodded. He lightly hovered his hand above the tainted skin, and then lowered his finger to contact the wrist. Rayla winced, seething through her teeth. He quickly pulled his hand away. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine.” She mumbled, looking away, “It’s better than it was a few hours ago.”  
“I’ll have to put some ice on it or something before you sleep, though. It seems to be healing quickly, but you still need to be careful.” He added.

Then an awkward silence filled the air. 

Callum spoke up. “Rayla, what was that?” He slowly asked.

Rayla didn’t need to question him to know what he was talking about. Her dancing.

“Oh, I-I-” She stuttered, biting her lip. She sighs, “Sorry.”

He was baffled. She had nothing to apologize for. “About what? You did nothing wrong!”

“You saw that. I don’t know,” She hesitated, “Almost no one has seen me dance before. I’ve never let anyone see it.” Callum realized that he was one of the first people who had seen her dance. He didn’t understand her insecurity. Her dancing was beautiful, unlike anything he’d ever seen.

“But you said you were going to sleep because you were tired. A-and you looked tired!”

Rayla took a deep breath, tucking a hair behind her ear. She couldn’t get out of this. She trusted Callum, anyway. “I dance. Sometimes. It’s something I picked up when I was young. I like it. It’s fun and relaxing. I was just practicing right now. It gives me energy and helps me clear my thoughts.” She noticed the puzzled look on Callum’s face. “It’s not easily put into words. It’s something you need to feel and experience in order to understand.”

Callum thought about his past experiences with dancing. He was clumsy and could hardly walk without tripping over his own feet. The complete opposite of what he had seen Rayla do. She was graceful and balanced.

“Can you. . .teach me?”

Rayla stares at Callum for a few moments, blinking her eyes, before responding. “What?”

He quickly waved his hands around, mentally facepalming for even asking. “Sorry, I just, you don’t have to-” He began to ramble. 

She was quick to put a finger to his lips. “Shut up, you big dumb human. I’ll teach you.” A smirk coated her face.

“What, really?” He hadn’t expected that reply. And he was a bit offended at the “big dumb human” statement, but he supposed he deserved it.

“Yes. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two. Besides you need to work on your coordination.” She winked at him. Callum’s face heated up.

Rayla sat up, brushing her clothes, and then hastily grabbed Callum’s arms and led him to the area where she was dancing before. “Ok, so let’s begin. I take it you’ve never danced before?” Callum shook his head. She nodded. “Well, I’ll teach you a simple dance. I think someone like you should be able to do it.”

She walked backward, giving them both some space. “Alright, now, just do what I do.” 

She held her hands out pointing to the side. Callum, despite the quizzical expression, mirrored her. 

Rayla began teaching Callum some moves. Sophisticated stuff he’s never done. She showed him how to twirl and dip her. Besides continuously stepping on each other’s feet, he wasn’t doing too bad. His face, on the other hand, continuously heated and turned red at all close contact. He’d never been this close to a girl, not even Claudia, despite knowing her most of his life. 

Callum was having fun with Rayla. It was a new experience, and they began to get more relaxed around each other. While Callum was far from graceful, he was a fast learner, thankfully for Rayla. 

Time went on as they kept dancing, music from the magical harp serenading them in the background. Eventually, they were both getting tired, so they stopped for the night, and went to the benches. Both sweaty from all of the action, Rayla handed him an extra water bottle she had brought with her. “That was fun,” Callum admitted. She turned to look at him. 

“Yeah, maybe we could do it again sometime.”

Callum’s face reddened at the idea of dancing with Rayla like that again because he loved it. He glanced at Rayla, taking note of how her hair lightly flowed in the cool night air, the way her nose and cheeks were redder than the rest of her face, the way she leaned her arm on the bench, supporting her head. He’d have to draw the sight later. 

They began wandering back to the room they were staying in. They bid each other goodnight and went to bed, Callum sleeping by Ezran and Rayla with Ellis and Ava. 

But Callum was wide awake. Through Ezran’s even breathing, he couldn’t stop thinking about tonight. It was the most interesting night he’d had in a while that he enjoyed. It was fun. He now understood what Rayla had meant when she said it helped clear thoughts. It provided a temporary distraction from every worry that was caught up in his head. He thought back to Rayla. The elf he barely knew but got to experience an intimate moment with. She had seemed tense at first but relaxed as the night went on. He supposed that was a good thing. They were friends now, anyways. They would be traveling with each other until they delivered Zym to his mother.

On the other side of the room, Rayla was mentally freaking out. She can’t believe she had just done that. The only other people who had seen her dance were Runaan and Ethari. She’d begun learning when she was young and was self-taught. She had seen people dancing at a party they went to. Runaan and Ethari wanted her to get out of the house and be around people because she was always cooped up in the house. Little Rayla was amazed at all of the smooth movements, and after she had gotten home, she began mimicking what she’d seen. Ethari had caught her dancing in her room and taught her a thing or two. Runaan wasn’t much of a dancer either, but they all had fun with each other, dancing around at night in the fresh night air. They’d even taught her some Moonshadow dance rituals that are taught in her culture. 

Her eyes stung at the memories. She misses them. She managed to think back to her experience with Callum. The boy was clumsy but a fast learner, eventually getting the moves. He was lucky she was patient with him. She agreed on doing that again tomorrow. Oh boy, what had she gotten herself into?

She managed to eventually fall asleep after calming her thoughts but knowing that she had a new day full of surprises ahead of her. 

~~~

The sun began to set behind them as everyone sat on a bench, consuming some snacks that Lujanne had provided. It was their second night at the Moon Nexus. Lujanne had noticed Callum’s awed interest at everything magic-related, so she offered to show him some things about Moon magic tomorrow. They’d all spent their day oversleeping, playing, and training. 

Rayla had woken up early, though, going on a perimeter check. She’d seemed giddy and alert. Callum couldn’t blame her. They needed to look out for any danger, as their mission wouldn’t be very easy.

Eventually, it began getting dark, and they headed to sleep. He tucks Ezran into bed, with Ezran complaining about how “He’s not a little kid and doesn’t need tucking in”, but Callum knew he secretly appreciated it. Ezran quickly falls sound asleep. 

Callum layed in bed, trying to fall asleep, but not succeeding to do so. In the end, he’d just decided to get up and go outside to get some fresh air. He walked back to the benches where they were sitting earlier. He sat there for a few minutes in silence. 

Suddenly, he heard quiet footsteps and looked up to see a sleepy elf striding towards him. She sat across him on the bench, resting her head on the table. “Couldn’t sleep either?” He asked.

She nods with a pout. His lips lightly curve upwards at her. Her hair was a bit messy and she had a cute expression on her face. Cute? Where did that come from? 

His blush intensified as he heard her shuffle and walk over to him, uttering the words, “C’mon, let’s go dance.” A smirk was inhabiting her face, resulting in him grinning back at her. She clutched his hand and pulled him with her as they ran back to the same spot from last night. 

Once they reached their destination, Rayla spoke up. “So, tonight, I’m going to teach you a little Moonshadow ritual. It’s a dance we do in our culture.” She began explaining. Her accent hung on to her words. “I think you’ll get the hang of it since you’re a quick learner.”

Callum quickly bobbed his head up and down in an excited nod. He couldn’t wait to learn more about elf rituals. The list of things he’d been wanting to draw continued to increase in length. Rayla began teaching him the steps to the dance. It was simple yet elegant. Rayla’s moves were smooth and delicate. He tried to mimic her but kept stumbling. She noted that he was improving, though. After about an hour or two, they stopped. Callum had just about memorized the entire routine. Though they were working hard, Callum was having a blast. 

“Alright, now let’s try performing it. I’ll quietly remind you of the steps along the way so you don’t forget them. Do you think you’ve got the moves down?” She put a hand on her hips, looking pleased. 

“Yeah, I think I’m ready,” He responded. Rayla walked over to the little harp sitting on the grass nearby. She kneeled down and plucked a few strings, and with that motion, the harp began playing on its own. A melody and harmony began overlapping each other, creating a magical sound. 

They stand opposite each other, preparing to begin the ritual. Rayla makes a subtle nod, a sign for them to start. 

They walk towards each other with their hands behind their back. 

Then they let out their hands freely, twirling around each other. Callum’s movements still clumsy, but improving.

Turning to look at each other, they press their hands together, walking with specific steps in a circle. Callum’s warmth radiated onto Rayla’s chilled body, causing her to relax. 

Callum looked into Rayla’s bright purple eyes. The nearby lamps cast a blue hue on her purple toned face. He didn’t think any colors he had would capture the bright and enthralling tone of her expression. She looked at him with joy and trust, causing Callum to heat up again. He could get used to this. 

Moments later, Rayla raised her hand and Callum caught it, holding onto her finger as she twirled underneath him. Her motion looked so effortless, though it wasn’t. 

Through a swift motion, Callum put a hand on Rayla’s back as he dipped her. Time somehow slowed as he looked into her. She stared back at him. With a hand on her back, he snaked his other hand onto the side of her face, caressing her cheek. She laid her hand on top of his. Both breathing heavily onto each other, staying in a dip for a few moments, enjoying each other’s close presence. 

Rayla’s cheeks were beginning to speckle with a blush. Callum’s touch felt amazing. The piece playing in the background was now muted to them, their focus only on each other. 

They were snapped out of their thoughts at a Moon Moth that landed on Callum’s nose, sputtering a giggle from Rayla. They straightened, avoiding each other’s gaze, thinking of the moment they just had. You’ve only known this girl for a week, Callum, compose yourself, Callum thought. Rayla strolled over to the harp and strummed it to signal the music to cease. She walked over to Callum. She beamed at him, and then suddenly embraced him. Callum was pushed back by the sudden impact, but recovered and immediately embraced her back. She pulled away and they began to stroll back to their room, side by side. 

Callum couldn’t wait to dance with her under the moonlight again.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I kinda like how this one turned out. You could probably tell but I know nothing about dance. I had to search things up and ask a friend of mine who does about dancing.
> 
> I didn't wanna add too much fluff and stuff because this is literally right after season 1 takes place but I mean it's Rayllum fluff you can't object (but in the end, i wrote more than i should have lol)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! :D


End file.
